Initial Assessment of UGPN

The University Global Partnership Network is an extremely beneficial student program that sounded like an amazing opportunity when first offered to me. Over the weeks of working on a foreign platform with international students it did prove to be an incredible but challenging experience.  Since the conclusion of the program, no doubt have my communication skills improved as well as the ability to adapt and collaborate within various situations. The program utilised both concepts of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and Internationalisation at Home (IaH) which emphasise the need for virtual mobility experiences to be incorporated in our educational curriculums. This is to integrate international and intercultural dimensions within our learning by interacting with peers and professionals from the global community (About COIL - Online International Learning, n.d.; 1.5.2 Redefining 'internationalisation at home': perspectives from Europe and Australia, 2015). These approaches are crucial for the development of personal international skills and intercultural competencies as well as preparing graduates to be global citizens with intercultural communication experience and the ability to work in cross cultural environments (Verheul, n.d.; Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) | Western Sydney University, n.d.).

 

Initially, there were concerns raised over the effectiveness and structure of the program and it’s successfulness in giving a quality experience. Personally, I was apprehensive meeting with international students due to the significant time zone difference that I felt would defer any positive work being completed. However, although this was a challenge, I was quickly assured that it is possible, and a group can be organised swiftly in order to produce a worthy final project. Another issue was the potential language barrier between our international peers particularly the students from the University De Sao Paulo, Brazil as their first language is Portuguese. This proved to be a very minor impediment to our communication as these students spoke very strong English and we were able to communicate effectively with the support of our university teachers. Lastly, my biggest concern regarded the level of support and structure we would have from teachers whilst participating in the program, as this was largely a self-guided journey. Initially, information was ambiguous and confusing, however as we reached out, our teachers were there nonstop to help us navigate through our unsureness and help us reach our full potential throughout the experience.

 

The opportunities to come from this program are endless in terms of studying abroad and making a positive difference in the world through the implementation of our focus of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. As well as, now obtaining the skills to work confidently and effectively in multicultural and multilingual teams and being able to quickly adapt to the everchanging environments of our reality. Overall, this opportunity was amazing, especially within the pandemic as it was comforting to know that other people were experiencing very similar to what we had been through in regard to COVID 19; and to also be able to make programs like this possible even in difficult times. To me, this couldn’t have come at a better time as we were able to form global connections and reap the benefits of COIL and IaH all from the comfort of our own homes whilst also remaining connected to society.